Auckland: From coast to coast (almost)

The first thing we did upon arriving in New Zealand's largest city was make a run for the Sky Tower. We had heard it was a great place to watch the sunset, and we didn't want to miss it. We didn't have a map for how to get there. We didn't need one. We just kept looking up. I don't know how how tall the whole thing is, but I do know that there is an observation tower on the 60th floor. That's high.

As the elevator doors opened to let us out on the "lower" observation deck on the 51st floor, I saw the flash of a body falling by the window. Not expected. Creepy. Cringe-inducing. Then I looked again and saw a sign that said, "Next jumper in 4 minutes."  You can pay good money to jump (harnessed, of course) from the 53rd floor. These Kiwis are serious adrenaline junkies!

We had dinner at Orbit, the rotating restaurant on the 52nd floor. It really was delicious food and a beautiful way to see the city. And eating there let us into the  Sky Tower for free. Highly recommend this experience. 

I really wanted some good exercise,  so on our final full day in New Zealand, Jan humored me by setting out on the Coast-to-Coast Tramp. The entire walk is about 10 miles, and literally crosses Auckland from one side to the other on this narrow isthmus. The track also climbs volcanic peaks and meanders through neighborhoods and parks, along the way. 

There are periodic signs marking the trail.  I had downloaded a high level image of a map onto my phone. We repeatedly got lost. It was really more like orienteering than anything else, and it was a total hoot. Especially when it started raining as we started up one of the volcanoes. A dad out with his kids told us where to find shelter, and by the time we got there, the word "deluge" came to mind. 

We did about 8 of the 10 miles and decided it was time to catch a bus back to our hotel. It was a great way to see the city, and we met fun people along the way. Especially when we got lost. In fact, we must have walked more than 8 miles, what with all the course corrections. My fitbit was very happy, even if Jan's legs weren't.

Jim and Pat used the hop-on; hop-off bus to see the sights. So they were pretty refreshed by the time we caught back up with each other.

Tonight we had AMAZING mussel pots and Belgian beer at the famous Occidental Tavern and mourned the end of our time in New Zealand. Everything you hear about the beautiful country and warm friendly people is true.

And then we remembered that we were heading on to more great adventures in Australia!